Influence cafe in Darlington

Nice place but don’t order a Baileys coffee. 😂

Black pudding was a highlight. Fast and attentive service.

Visited for the first time yesterday, and was delighted to find such a great choice of, gluten free, goodies. Not only that, but the two, different, cakes, which I shared with my daughter, were delicious along with the coffee and tea. If, like me, you have allergy issues, it's a great place to visit but dogs are very welcome too, which would suit you animal lovers. Go along and pay a visit, you won't be disappointed.

Great and very patient service. Delicious food. Quirky vibe. Loved it. Also interesting art on the walls!

Great and very patient service. Delicious food. Quirky vibe. Loved it. Also interesting art on the walls!

Had coffee in here several times and it’s very good. Decided to have lunch today, fried eggs on sourdough with crispy bacon and mushrooms. Plate was cold, mushrooms were cold after about 3 mins, 2 fried eggs both had hard yolks, bacon so crispy I had trouble cutting it and it was very salty, bottom layer of toast difficult to cut through and plate had lots of oil swimming around it which isn’t good from a calorie point of View. Will try again but on this occasion I was really disappointed.

Had coffee in here several times and it’s very good. Decided to have lunch today, fried eggs on sourdough with crispy bacon and mushrooms. Plate was cold, mushrooms were cold after about 3 mins, 2 fried eggs both had hard yolks, bacon so crispy I had trouble cutting it and it was very salty, bottom layer of toast difficult to cut through and plate had lots of oil swimming around it which isn’t good from a calorie point of View. Will try again but on this occasion I was really disappointed.

The food was nice and didn't have to wait long. It was all reasonably priced. The coffee was quite bitter, but that is just a matter of taste. It's worth a visit if in the area.

Very dog friendly independent cafe. Stopped for coffee and cake both of which were excellent. Staff were friendly and helpful. Good atmosphere. Will definitely return again!

Excellent cafe with a great vegetarian selection. The goats cheese wrap is particularly tasty.

Visited this morning to meet up with friends cafe was quiet. Plenty of seating downstairs and the upstairs was empty, we like to sit upstairs so I asked the young waiter if we were ok to go upstairs in which she replied yes that is fine. The owner then proceeded to follow us upstairs and asked us if it was only the two of us, if so could we move seats. I replied and said ‘ no four of us’ as there were two more of our friends soon to join us. She then very rudely replied are you sure as I need that table which I could not understand as it was empty only being 11am. Showing poor customer service skills for someone who owns a business. Me and my mam used to go here every Saturday we had a sudden death in the family and did not go into town for weeks after when we did we fancied a change which people do come and go like to try somewhere different. We have found the owner since been very unpleasant towards us. I will not return here in the future.

Coffee/tea and cake with my friend. Nice little cafe.

What an amazing find! Our first time eating out in Darlington. We just happened upon Influence Cafe. It catered to all of our dietary requirements, with a lovely menu full of beautiful food. All inclusive (Pet friendly, vegan, gluten free etc) with a relaxing atmosphere and impeccable service. Will definitely be back again, as my wife wants to sample the whole menu! Only thing I could say is, the toilet is on the top floor, so not accessible for disabilities, but the cafe itself is.

Lovely brunch-very tasty & they cater for GF 👏🏻. We even took away a treat for later. 1 of the best shortbread millionaires Ive had. Hubby had a vegan cake (hes not vegan) but said it was really nice & moist. We will be back....plus they have proper tea 🫖

Whilst visiting for lunch and coffee today, I kindly asked the lady who is often behind the desk if they would mind heating my babies purée for her lunch (she’s just 6 months old). I was made to feel extremely inconvenient and told “we don’t usually do this”, “you’re meant to order from the menu, there’s scrambled egg”. When explaining that my daughter has a dairy allergy and can not yet eat solids, she shrugged and rolled her eyes at me. After taking our little tub off her colleague who was going to sort it, she said we were to “wait until I’m not busy”, she then came back with a deformed tub (lid not taken off in microwave) and said “see, we don’t use the microwave, maybe it’s to powerful”… rather than sorry. This is not the first time I have witnessed this same lady being unnecessarily difficult with customers and ruining visits. We wont be coming again, I’ll take my baby somewhere where she’s welcome.

Gorgeous place in Darlington to eat. They have gluten free and vegan options and are one of the few indie places open on a Monday for brunch. I could have eaten their banana bread twice over, it was so delicious. Toilets are up two steep flights of stairs. There's a second seating area on the middle floor which is quieter but felt like it would benefit from some new seat padding and a change of flooring.

Good coffee, nice cakes, very friendly

We went on good friday for brunch, the music being played sounded funky so we wanted in. Sadly they had no coffee- luckily we drink tea so we had 2 green teas which were lovely and we had vegan tofu scrambled eggs and banna bread with fruit. All really tasty, staff were really friendy and attentive and oo i loved the decor.

We went on good friday for brunch, the music being played sounded funky so we wanted in. Sadly they had no coffee- luckily we drink tea so we had 2 green teas which were lovely and we had vegan tofu scrambled eggs and banna bread with fruit. All really tasty, staff were really friendy and attentive and oo i loved the decor.

Good place, comfortable and friendly staff.Located in the best Town in UK.

Lovely little coffee shop Food on next table looked awesome !!

Really lovely cafe with plenty of vegan options! I’ve been to Influence a few times now and they’re always spot on with their food. It’s always a treat to see the doggies too :)

Excellent cafe, visited at lunchtime with my dad and our dog Max. Sandwiches were lovely, puppicinos available for dogs, coffees also very nice. Staff friendly and attentive, good location in the centre of town. Also licensed if anyone fancies a beer/wine, will definitely be back.

Plate could been warmed up ... that the All day breakfast was put on . Otherwise everything was lovely

Wonderful place ..great choice of food. Lovely coffee and dog friendly 😊

a good cafe with lots of food options and especially delicious cakes. some menu items are nicer than others (presentation can be a bit lacking) and service can be a little slow at times but it is still an enjoyable time. very inclusive for all dietary needs!

I wouldn't know what the food tastes like, as we waited over 10 minutes for someone to approach and take our order. This never happened, so we left. 4 waitresses, not really a big place either.

Lovely Cafe with nice food and drinks :)

Love this cafe for breakfast/brunch. Friendly staff and lovely atmosphere for a treat. Is on the expensive side but worth it

Reasonable price and friendly staff. Food good

Great little diner. Food is fantastic, their focaccia bread is the best I’ve tasted. Eaten here a few times now and food has always been excellent. Coffee was lovely. Friendly service too. Well worth a visit (and there’s a room upstairs if the ground floor looks busy).

Decided to try for breakfast, looked nice. Not busy , so sat down at a table. Was completely ignored for 15 minutes so left to go elsewhere (there was only two others in there when I arrived, not including the two staff). Not a great experience.

Beautiful food I had the eggs benedict and they were amazing! Lovely staff and beautiful dogs too would highly recommend for a relaxing coffee

What a find! Great menu! Plenty of choice! GF options and all freshly made to order. Will be back next next we're in Darlington, with our dog.

Best lunch we've had for quite a while. Food was fresh, tasty and delicious. The bacon and walnut salad was so good and tuna melt very very tasty. Coffee and music spot in as was all the staff. Excellent value for money.

Nice cafe with good service in central Darlington. Perfect for a sandwich or coffee with a piece of cake.

Went in on ony own for food and coffe. Was asked it I was waiting for someone else and I said no. Then told I couldn't sit there as it had 3 chairs at the table . It wasnt full there were other empty tables... Added in response to your reply. I wasn't offered another table. She stood there as I picked up my bags and left. No alternative table was offered to me

My mum came here to grab coffee and a cake while she was out shopping and was refused service and was told to leave because she was on her own and "the tables are for 2, 3 or 4 people, not 1", despite there being at least 4 empty tables at the time. Left my poor mum feeling shocked and embarrassed. Disgusting and money hungry behaviour.

Don't go here on your own because you will be turned away.

Service was AWFUL. Food was OK. Iced coffee was minging, made with water and bad coffee beans was just gross. Asked for raspberry juice and got given a bottled summer fruits drink- cost £3! My order was missing bits and ended up going cold cause of the wait, this is after getting the wrong food to begin with. There was a woman and a young lad, the woman kept making the young lad apologise and feel stupid for stuff, when we complained about the coffee and lack of egg she had an attitude. Tried asking the young lad for something and he just pure ignored me. This place is built for coffee and cake and neither of those even hit any high standards. I’d just avoid, bad management, bad service, in over their heads. Just wanted to open the business to call it the “influence cafe” not for the food or service.

The bacon and sausage roll was one of the best i have ever had. The service was excellent served with a smile 😃

Popped in for lunch. Nice food,clean environment, good atmosphere and service.

Visited with friends a few times always had good table service and nicely presented food and good coffee. Decor is nice and the place is very clean. Will keep popping back

Brilliant little cafe with outdoor seating lovely food and very reasonable prices.

This was an unexpected delight - my friend and I were looking for a light lunch and saw the outside seating for this cafe, checked out the menu, and grabbed a seat by the window. Service was friendly & prompt, we both ordered sandwiches and they were tasty, well portioned, and very reasonably priced. We’d go again!

Cup of tea like dishwater, sausage poor quality, vegetarian sausage was like eating mushy sage and onion stuffing. Left both sandwiches uneaten. When asked if everything was OK with the food, I said no and it was cleared away without further comment. Will not be returning. We went to number 22s and ate there.

A simple, no frills, dog-friendly cafe. From a relatively limited menu I had the halloumi salad. It was very good, but would have been better with a little bread to accompany it. We were disappointed that it isn't possible to order a side of sweet potato fries, even though they are available as part of a 'hot dog' style dish. A spot of carbs would have been great! 'Clangy' acoustics, and hard seats (I swapped my smooth plastic chair for a cushioned one...) meant it wasn't as relaxing an experience as it might have been. The lovely young lad who asked how everything was with our food deserves a mention. So pleasant. Not a terrible visit, just not great enough to make us rush back. Though we were pooch-free on this occasion, it's always good to know of dog-friendly places. So, duly noted and passed on, thank you.

Nice menu. Downstairs was busy. Upstairs pretty empty. Ordered coffee and toasted sandwiches told could be 20 minutes wait on food we said thats ok. Coffees arrived in 10 minutes. Waited 44 minutes on food had to go to the counter to complain food immediately brought to us but cold toasted sandwiches. After food went and paid the bill no one ever asked was food ok. Disappointed

Delicious food, great drinks and amazing service. Friendly staff that go out of their way to help you. Wonderful atmosphere. Also discovered ample yet cozy seating upstairs decorated with local art (Some available to buy). It’s a place where you feel welcomed and I rushed. Where you can relax and unwind surrounded by friendly faces.

Came to this cafe on a lunch time, seated straight away and gentlemen behind the counter was very friendly. Would highly reccomend.

My husband and I shared poached eggs and avocado, was delicious and eggs perfectly cooked. The sand coffee he ordered was a first for him, he’s a bit of a coffee snob, he really enjoyed it. My flat white was great too. Nice location, accommodating staff and a lively atmosphere.

Staff is extremely friendly, approachable and helpful. They served me with a big smile in this faces what makes a huge difference. I have eaten a influence XXL and was delicious, they have a hand made coleslaw and the bread, sausage, bacon and onions makes a great combination. I will definitely come back.

The best cappuccino in Darlington! Really tasty. Isn’t a milk only.

Great place loved the food and atmosphere

Disappointing - the reviews were promising but was not impressed with the chickpea flatbread I had. The flat breads are not proper flat breads, they are shop bought tortilla wraps. Very small portion for the price and salad was wilted / browning. Won’t be returning.

A little gem of a place in Darlington town centre. Fabulous Lontons coffee (the best going in my opinion!) - iced coffees are delicious, lots of syrup and milk choices. The toasted, loaded banana bread is to die for as is the XXL Brat - everything is done with a twist - the brownie with tahini is also out of this world!

Called on Saturday for a quick bite whilst out in Darlington, plenty of options available & it was table service which was very efficient, what was impressive was the speed at which vacated tables were cleared & cleaned! The background music was fabulous not too loud, the food was lovely & good value for money, my coronation chicken, mint & cucumber focaccia was lovely, hubby said his bacon & egg butty was divine, the coffee was that nice I had two, would definitely recommend it & will return the next time we’re in the town, thank you for a great visit & loved the dogs x

Nice leaf tea and good brownies...

Amazing food. Excellent choice on the menu. Had a vegan wrap.. mmmmm delicious (it's not just for vegans)ively cup of tea which stayed hot in their thermal teapot! Size of cake portion was more than generous. Had a lovely lunch. Staff friendly and welcoming

Great place very friendly staff

Nice little cafe. Food and coffee both good

Nice sign outside, look forward to a meal when I'm next close

Visited last Thursday for the first time and will definitely return. The food was really good, as was the atmosphere and friendliness of the staff.

Nic cakes in a lovely environment

Looking for a nice cosy relaxing place to have lunch, whilst in town... and we found it!! Toasted Focacia sandwiches gorgeous. We will be back.... and.. pet friendly !!! Thank you.

Not in Darlington very much but was at hospital for app and waiting to pick someone up popped in for a coffee was very good

Warm welcome and great choice of vegan treats... nice atmosphere with chilled music. It's useful to know they are VERY dog friendly !

What a great little place had a lovely breakfast and exceptional service . Would recomend. a wonderful find for great food.

Really nice little cafe on the junction of Skinner Gate and Post House Wynd. It does nice drinks and great freshly made food.

Visited with a friend for brunch, coffee and food were lovely and the staff were very friendly and helpful.

Lovely interesting place to find for a very late Monday lunch! Friendly staff, great food, clean, & a fantastic collection of artwork surrounding you. As far as cafes go locally it's no doubt one of the better quality, with an interesting menu, catering for local tastes but with twists of other cultures in places. Their maple & bacon pancakes & pastrami sandwiches are delicious and everything was very fair value for money. Would definitely recommend & will return 😊

Just had a chicken flatbread, basically a deconstructed wrap, sent it back as I was literally crunching salt! No offer of replacement or refund! To balance it out the dark hot chocolate is the reason why I came and my son loved the brownie! We try and support local businesses, not the best experience this time. Polite staff but #customerservice ... When I went to leave was bid a good day, I went to the till and asked what normally happens when someone returns something, apparently they weren't aware it had been returned, nor questioned why half a plate of food came back. Offered a refund, which I said I'd gift it to someone (which I hope they do), in turn they offered my son a brownie which he declined (too polite). Now off to buy and sandwich!

Lovely place! Fantastic service, delicious (and very reasonably priced) food and donuts to die for! Really enjoyed the live music, very nice atmosphere. Love coming here and would definitely recommend!

Lovely atmosphere very relaxed, prompt service, perfect for lunch or a quick coffee and cake!

I have just had the best piece of gluten free coffee cake ever. This cafe never fails to have a fabulous choice for people with food intolerances and also vegan customers. However you would never know that because they are all so delicious. Good coffee...

Really good coffee, beautiful cakes, friendly helpful staff and not expensive! More special than the high street giants! Looking forward to another visit and more cake 😋

Lovely food and a great atmosphere

Lass behind the counter needs to smile a bit more

Lovely cafe right in the centre very clean with polite and efficient staff

The smoothly I ordered was really not great.

Great venue for coffee and a chat.

Nice lil corner cafe with good choice of vegan, dairy and gluten free treats. As well can have glass of wine or G&T with 🍰

Service was good to cheese. Cake was good

My and my partner visited here as an alternative so a well known high street brand. Wow my flat white was lovely and brownie bite was to die for! Nice clean sleak look to the place. Will definitely visit here again.

To posh for just a bit bait like

We dropped in on an impromptu visit on the recommendation of a lady in a jewellery shop nearby. Very glad we took up that recommendation. There was plenty of choice on the menu and the food was really nice. The staff were friendly and helpful....

Great service and wheelchair friendly

Love this cafe always friendly and welcoming thank you guys 😁

Had a nice lunch here good prices and friendly staff

Absolutely lovely. Great choice of food with some very healthy and tasty meals. Lovely atmosphere, felt very safe. Back soon

Great place for a nice cuppa with friends, coffee was nice some lovely cakes to be had too. The staff were great very welcoming and there was a nice atmosphere too.

Another great independent cafe. Looking forward for this one opening fully after lockdown!

Great service, really nice coffee and bacon sarnies. Really nice place inside. Would definitely recommend

the food there was excellent as was the coffee and the cakes we've bought. the staff were all very friendly and provided amazing service

Very poor coffee was weak. Waited forever to be served. Gentleman asked which cider they served...waiter did not know even though they only serve one brand...he waited longer than me. TABLES NOT 2 METERS APART. I will not return. Nor will I recommend it.

Lovely coffee and they always have a good selection of vegan or dairy/gluten free cakes. They once went out especially to pick up some soya milk for me when they'd run out. Can't wait to come back to dine in again!

Great food and service. We always eat here when we go to Darlington as prefer to support local businesses rather than corporations that serve overpriced and bland food.

Excellent cup of coffee. The food is good and they also serve a nice glass of wine.

I had a great experience at Influence Cafe. I got seated then a friendly waiter came to get my order. The waiting time for the food was excellent, as well as the actual food, the price of it and the service.

The food was absolutely gorgeous, friendly staff, quick service and in general we had an amazing meal and enjoyed our time out.